DFS Alerts
Kawhi Leonard (quad) and Danny Green (groin) will play Tuesday
Leonard has been cleared to play and will make his season debut in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as probable on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report due to right quadriceps tendinopathy, while Danny Green will also play following his earlier probable designation due to left groin tightness. Leonard will be subject to a minute restriction in his return to the lineup, but there have been no concrete reports on how much playing time he will be able to handle right out of the gates, though it’s virtually guaranteed that the Spurs coaching staff will ease him back into action. Assuming Leonard returns to the starting lineup in his first game back, his presence will likely relegate Rudy Gay, who is filling in for the injured Kyle Anderson, back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role. Dating back to last season, Leonard leads the Spurs with a 33.0% usage rate while averaging 1.29 fantasy points per minute, and, once at full strength, his return to the lineup figures to affect LaMarcus Aldridge the most, as he owns a -2.2% usage rate differential over the past two seasons with Leonard on the court.
As reported by: Tom Orsborn via Twitter Other tagged players: Danny Green
Kevin Love (hip) and Tristan Thompson (calf) questionable Tuesday
Love has officially been listed as questionable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks due to a strained left hip flexor that forced him to be a late scratch prior to Saturday’s win, while Tristan Thompson has also been listed as questionable but head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters following Monday’s practice that he expects Thompson to make his return from a strained left calf that kept him sidelined for 19 consecutive games. The current plan is for Thompson to come off the bench on Tuesday if he plays, but there has been no official word on whether he will have a strict minute restriction in his first game back. This means that Kevin Love will remain the Cavaliers’ starting center for at least one additional game if he’s able to suit up, though Thompson coming off the bench could certainly be a permanent move as well. Unsurprisingly, LeBron James has been the main beneficiary with Love off the court this season, owning a +4.0% usage rate differential in this scenario, while also averaging 1.81 fantasy points per minute, which just further cements his status as an elite option on Tuesday’s slate should Love be announced inactive later in the day.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Other tagged players: Tristan Thompson John Wall (knee discomfort) upgraded to questionable Tuesday
Wall has officially been upgraded from out to questionable on the Washington Wizards’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after missing eight consecutive games due to PRP and viscosupplementation injections in his left knee to reduce the inflammation. Meanwhile, Ian Mahinmi also remains questionable with a sore right knee. Mahinmi had been the beneficiary of additional playing time in recent games and has logged at least 23 minutes off the bench in four of the last seven games. Should he be ruled out, Jason Smith would likely step into the backup center role behind Marcin Gortat and absorb a larger role in the Wizards frontcourt rotation. As for Wall, if he’s cleared to play, he will relegate Tim Frazier from the starting lineup, and possibly even the rotation altogether, with Tomas Satoransky seemingly overtaking the backup point guard role. On the other hand, if Wall is ruled out, Bradley Beal continues to lead the team with a 34.9% usage rate in the eight games Wall’s been sidelined, but he has been extremely inconsistent from a fantasy standpoint due to his heavy dependence on scoring, making him a better tournament target than a cash option for the duration of Wall’s absence from the lineup.
As reported by: Zachary Rosen via Twitter Increased Opportunity Tonight
With Dennis Smith Jr. out tonight, Yogi Ferrell should start at point guard again. He played 33 minutes in his start against the Timberwolves, and finished with a very respectable 10-7-4 line. It’s a tough matchup against the Spurs, but with limited value on this slate, I’m very interested in Ferrell because we know his role tonight. He’s currently fewer than 4k on DraftKings, and has scored at least 20 DraftKings points in three of his last four games.
Anthony Davis (adductor strain) ruled out Monday
Davis has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets after previously being listed as questionable on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report with a strained left adductor he re-aggravated during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win, while Jameer Nelson and Tony Allen were both ruled out with their respective ailments, the former missing his second consecutive game. Head coach Alvin Gentry opted to roll with a tighter rotation in Sunday’s contest rather than disperse Nelson’s minutes to other reserve players like Ian Clark, as every starter other than DeMarcus Cousins ended up playing at least 37 minutes. That said, he’s much likelier to extend the rotation on the second night of a back-to-back set in a game that has serious blowout risk with Davis officially unavailable. As is the case anytime Davis is sidelined, Cousins becomes an elite option for all formats on Monday’s slate and owns a +5.1% usage rate differential while leading the Pelicans by a wide margin with a 40.2% usage rate with Davis, Nelson, and Allen off the court this season.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Dante Cunningham Al Horford (knee contusion) will play Monday
Horford has told reporters that he will play in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report with a right knee contusion. The Celtics are still without Marcus Morris, who remains sidelined indefinitely with a sore knee, so Aron Baynes will remain alongside Horford in the Celtics starting frontcourt for the foreseeable future. Marcus Smart will enter the starting lineup in Irving’s place and immediately becomes one of the better value options on Monday’s slate and saw nearly 36 minutes of action in the only other game Irving has missed this season. There are a wide cast of characters that benefit from Irving’s unavailability, evidenced by Horford, Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Terry Rozier all owning at least a +3.7% usage rate differential with Irving and Morris off the court this season, while Tatum has been the most productive with that extra usage and has averaged 1.01 fantasy points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach via Twitter Paul George (calf) will start Monday; Andre Roberson (ankle) ruled out
George has been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s injury report with a right calf contusion that had forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Andre Roberson has been ruled out with a sprained right ankle following his prior questionable designation. In George’s absence, Alex Abrines entered the starting lineup and was solid in 34 minutes per game. That said, with Roberson unavailable, Abrines has a chance to remain in the starting unit at shooting guard and figures to see similar playing time, though it is possible the head coach Billy Donovan opts to go “big” and start Jerami Grant on the wing. Roberson is such a low usage player that his absence doesn’t benefit any one player on the Thunder roster, but Russell Westbrook interestingly has seen his production increase to 1.62 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.54 on FanDuel with Roberson off the court this season.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter Other tagged players: Andre Roberson James Harden (bruised calf) will play Monday
Harden has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as probable on the Houston Rockets’ injury report with a bruised left calf, while Zhou Qi remains listed as doubtful with a sore left calf. The status of Qi is essentially irrelevant as the reserve big man has eclipsed the 8-minute mark just once this season and hasn’t even seen the court for a few weeks. As for Harden’s injury, it doesn’t seem all that serious and it appears the Rockets were just being cautious with his injury designation in case he suffered a setback during shootaround or pregame warmups. Harden logged 37 minutes en route to an impressive fantasy performance in Saturday’s win, so the bruised calf doesn’t seem to be giving him too many issues. The Rockets’ star guard sets up to be an intriguing tournament pivot away from Kevin Durant on Monday’s slate, as he continues to lead the team with a 38.3% usage rate and draws an exploitable matchup against the Pelicans backcourt defense.
As reported by: Craig Ackerman via Twitter Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) ruled out Monday
Markkanen is a surprise late addition to the Chicago Bulls’ injury report and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics due to back spasms. In his absence, Nikola Mirotic will draw the start at power forward alongside Robin Lopez in the frontcourt. While Mirotic has been confirmed as the starter, he’s been limited to just 15 and 20 minutes in his first two games this season and it remains unclear exactly how many minutes he will be allowed to play this evening, though a safe projection looks to be somewhere in the 25-28 minute range. The absence of Markkanen will also allow Christian Felicio to reenter the frontcourt rotation, though he is highly unlikely to see enough playing time to become fantasy relevant. With Markkanen off the court this season, both Denzel Valentine and Justin Holiday own at least a +2.0% usage rate differential, adding to their appeal in tournament formats on Monday’s slate.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Joel Embiid (back) and Robert Covington (back) questionable for Tuesday
Embiid has officially been listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a tight back that forced him to be a late scratch from the lineup for Sunday’s loss, while Robert Covington has also been listed as questionable with a lower back contusion that has kept him sidelined for one game. The Sixers will receive at least some reinforcements with T.J. McConnell looking likely to make his return from a shoulder injury after missing five of the last six games but could still be relatively thin at the wing positions with Justin Anderson still sidelined with an injury and Nik Stauskas no longer with the team. Head coach Brett Brown could have gone several different directions with his starting lineup in the previous game but opted to start Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot at small forward and Amir Johnson at center in order to keep the remaining starters at their natural positions. Luwawu-Cabarrot will obviously see an increase in minutes over his typical mid-teens role off the bench, but he still remains a low-usage player, evidenced by his dismal performance in 23 minutes Sunday night. Not only that, but Jerryd Bayless and Trevor Booker figure to absorb additional playing time in different lineup configurations if Embiid and Covington are ruled out. That said, the starters that see a noteworthy uptick in usage with Embiid, Covington, and Anderson off the court are J.J. Redick and Ben Simmons, as each owns at least a +5.5% usage rate, while Simmons leads the Sixers with a rate of 1.32 fantasy points per minute in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Other tagged players: Robert Covington Kawhi Leonard (quad) and Danny Green (groin) probable for Tuesday
Leonard remains on track to make his season debut and has been listed as probable for tomorrow’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to right quadriceps tendinopathy, while Danny Green has also been listed as probable with left groin tightness. There have been no concrete reports on how much playing time Leonard will be able to handle right out of the gates, though it’s virtually guaranteed that the Spurs coaching staff will ease him back into action. Assuming Leonard returns to the starting lineup in his first game back, his presence will likely relegate Rudy Gay, who is filling in for the injured Kyle Anderson, back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role. Dating back to last season, Leonard leads the Spurs with a 33.0% usage rate while averaging 1.29 fantasy points per minute, and, once at full strength, his return to the lineup figures to affect LaMarcus Aldridge the most, as he owns a -2.2% usage rate differential over the past two seasons with Leonard on the court.
As reported by: Jeff McDonald via Twitter Other tagged players: Danny Green No Doubt About this One
Nicolas Batum has been ruled out of tonight’s game, which means we can fire up Jeremy Lamb in both cash games and tournaments. He is averaging over a fantasy point per minute this season and should slide into the starting lineup against the Thunder. While the matchup isn’t great on paper (Andre Roberson is an excellent on-ball defender), Lamb’s increased playing time should more than make up for it.
Opportunity Knocks
Kyrie Irving is out tonight, while Al Horford is questionable for the Celtics. I wouldn’t expect them to rush Horford in a very winnable game against a bad team. Marcus Smart should start for Irving and will play at least 35 minutes if the game stays close. He was a disaster the last time he got a starting opportunity, but there will be tons of usage to go around with Irving out. Fire up Smart (and Terry Rozier) as strong GPP options now.
Ian Mahinmi (knee strain) questionable for Tuesday
Mahinmi did not participate in practice on Monday and has been listed as questionable on the Washington Wizards’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Brooklyn Nets due to a strained right knee. He’ll be considered day-to-day moving forward and the team will provide a more specific update following Tuesday morning’s shootaround. Mahinmi had been the beneficiary of additional playing time in recent games and has logged at least 23 minutes off the bench in four of the last seven games. Should he be ruled out, Jason Smith would likely step into the backup center role behind Marcin Gortat and absorb a larger role in the Wizards frontcourt rotation. Ever since John Wall has been sidelined with an injury, Bradley Beal has led the team with a 34.9% usage rate but has been extremely inconsistent from a fantasy standpoint due to his heavy dependence on scoring, making him a better tournament target than a cash option for the duration of Wall’s absence from the lineup.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Increased Role for this Point Guard
Terry Rozier has been very productive on a per-minute basis this season, it’s just hard for him to see a lot of minutes playing behind Kyrie Irving. With Irving out tonight, Rozier should push for 26-30 minutes against the Bulls, which immediately thrusts him into an elite value play. Even if Marcus Smart draws the start, Rozier will have a bigger role than usual and you may want to consider playing both of them together.